LONG BLOG

E3 was pretty cool this year, but it sounds expensive. Really expensive. I do not say that because I am cheap, but I just say that after looking at the trends with games over the past few years. One of these trends is the demand for HD remakes. We all love games made in the past, mostly because of how memorable and revolutionary they were. Usually reviews of these games feature a line like: "One of the most complete gaming experiences ever." What I want to highlight is the word "complete." When games like Shadow of the Colossus were made, there wasn't anything like 'cloud computing' (which doesn't sound like something Activision will find a way to charge $15 for. Not at all.) Games we once loved were finished games. Nothing that had major bugs that could be patched in later, or a frustratingly small offering of multiplayer maps that we are reassured from the get-go about because there will be more released soon for us to pay for, which won't be touched in 8 months because a sequel with the same problem will be released.

Now, I don't at all intend this to be a rant about DLC. It really is a fantastic way of extending the life of great games, when it isn't used greedily. All I'm saying is that it was really hard for me not to think about so many of the E3 offerings without thinking about how some like Call of Duty, or even Battlefield may be thinking of ways to make more money off their product. And Nintendo's new console sounds expensive if my $500 touch screen phone that I just learned emits radiation is any indication. Though the nice thing about Nintendo is that I can count on them to get DLC horribly wrong Nintendo's lack of modern DLC practices, whether do to them being rebels or inept, has left me without the fear that what I buy from them won't be a finished product. No to belabor the point but multiplayer maps don't seem to be that hard to make. (OKAY I'M DONE)

Anyways, about an hour ago Sterling posted about the success of Ocarina of TIme 3DS. It seems that people, myself, included have been waiting a very long time for a tune up of one of their favorite games. Games like Zelda were truly great and only had minor, forgivable bugs. That same sentiment cannot be said about most new games, which come over scrutiny that I fail to believe. For example, a friend of mine put some spray paint on the ground in Dead Rising 2, complained that the spray didn't look realistic, then hit the paint with a squirt gun and complained that it didn't wash off. I'm all for putting games we pay $60 for under close criticism, but sometimes it gets out of hand. Some people are writing off the Wii-U already, because you only have one tablet running at a time with the system. Older, more cherished games did not face this for the most part and to their credit there wasn't a lot wrong with them. On the other side of the fence there are some old games so bad they're iconic.

Sony said there would be more HD remakes if there was a demand for them. Zone of the Enders, Metal Gear, ICO, Sly Cooper, all sorts of beloved games are being rereleased with a coat of polish and receive higher critical praise than some games that were in development for many years like Heavy Rain or even games ten years in development that managed to get by based on nostalgia and I think we all know what I'm talking about here. Sometimes nostalgia is all an old series has because the new editions will never be as good as the old ones.

Did I order Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts off of Amazon so I could get the HD remake of the original? Absolutely and I played it more than the awful Nuts and Bolts. We all love what people are doing with games now. There really is a lot of great work and innovation being done. There are simply games that are remade in HD and make a killing because they are games that are apparently timeless like the Ocarina and modern games fail to live up to them. Which can be said for many things. Why am I reading Dickens in preparation for the GRE and not Dan Brown? Why does everyone like to quote Shakespeare and not Neil LaBute?(cringe) Why do people still adore Casablanca and forget they ever saw whatever shlock Michael Bay put out this year. (Do not get me started on I Am Number 4)

I'm sure I'm not the only person excited for the stock of HD remakes Sony has on the way while playing the Ocarina of Time remake. These games were great and continue to make these companies money, while satisfying their costumers' dreams of having their favorite games in HD. In the meantime new games will be released that will nickel and dime us to death to make up for the fact that their games lack a great deal of content. While these practices will make companies loads of cash, the HD remakes may even become more popular as people will want to play a "complete" game they still to love.